


Total Eclipse of the Heart

by aemg14



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26591404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aemg14/pseuds/aemg14
Summary: Yang and Blake began to drift apart after the war had ended, but being back in Vale together 10 years later might change a few things. (A one-shot about the dance in volume 2 that just happened to turn into a slow burn)
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Sun Wukong, Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Coco Adel/Velvet Scarlatina, Coco Adel/Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	1. The Dance

It had been a long night. Actually, no, it had been an agonizingly long, excruciating, traumatizing night.

  
Maybe that was an overstatement, but it had been a pretty long night.

  
And Yang Xiao Long was normally accustomed to long nights, specifically ones involving slaying Grimm, or destroying Junior's club, or watching movies with Ruby. But this one was just too much to handle.

  
Yang dragged herself back to the dorm she shared with the rest of Team RWBY, noting, without much surprise, that no one was back yet. And why should they be? It was only 11:30. The dance started less than two hours ago. They should be out having fun. In fact, the last time Yang saw Ruby and Weiss, they were disappearing into the maze of gardens on the school grounds, holding hands and giggling.

  
Okay, maybe Ruby and Weiss shouldn't be having THAT much fun….But Blake should be.

  
She deserved it, after all. She had been working herself to the bone trying to catch Torchwick when all she should have to worry about was herself and her role on Team RWBY. No one should have to shoulder that much responsibility on their own.

  
So it was a good thing that Blake was enjoying the dance with Sun.

  
Suddenly feeling nauseous, Yang snuck up to the roof for some much-needed fresh air. Once she reached her destination, she couldn't help but reflect on how the night that was supposed to go so well had gone so horribly wrong.

  
oO0Oo

  
"Laugh all you want, but I'll be turning heads tomorrow night," Yang confidently stated, looking Sun straight in the eye. And she knew that there _would_ be heads turning her way, but she really only cared about turning one head in particular.

  
Tomorrow would be the perfect night to finally tell Blake how she felt. She could do this. She would do this...tomorrow… The mere thought of telling Blake gave her butterflies and made her absurdly nervous. But she had to do something, she couldn't let things continue the way they were. There were just too many unknown variables that could potentially throw a wrench into their entire relationship, romantic or otherwise.

  
She tuned back into the conversation after she heard Blake's name and once again heard someone doubting her presence.

  
"Guys, trust me. Blake _will_ be at the dance tomorrow." She had to be.

  
Now all Yang had to do was find her. Which, admittedly, wasn't that hard. Blake was in the first place Yang had looked: the library. She finally got her attention with the help of a little red laser pointer, and half walked, half dragged Blake off to the first empty classroom she found.

  
This was it. She was going to tell Blake how she felt and ask her to go the dance with her. But before Yang could even open her mouth, the normally quiet girl broke the silence.

  
"Yang, if you're going to tell me to stop, you may as well just save your breath."

  
After a second of confused silence, Yang understood that they were talking about Blake's troubling sleeping habits, or, more-accurately, her lack of sleep.

  
But this had all been a part of her plan. She was to tell Blake of her feelings, take the girl on the date of the century tomorrow, and then tackle the Torchwick problem together, like the partners they were. This job was just too big for her to handle on her own, and if she wouldn't accept Yang's help as her partner, maybe she would accept it as her girlfriend.

  
"I don't want you to stop. I want you to slow down."

  
' _And let me help you like I've always wanted to_ ,' Yang added in her thoughts.

  
"We don't have the luxury to slow down," Blake stated testily, getting tired of everyone telling her that she needed to let this problem with Torchwick go.

  
"It's not a luxury. It's a _necessity_." Yang practically pleaded with her partner. She could see what this was doing to Blake. It was made very clear by the exhausted way she walked and the dark circles that appeared to be a permanent addition to the face Yang had fallen head-over-heels for.

  
"The 'necessity' is stopping Torchwick," Blake snapped back, clearly reaching the end of her rope.

  
"And we're going to. But first you're going to sit down and listen to what I have to say," Yang replied, making sure that it was a statement, rather than a question.

  
"...fine."

  
It was better than nothing, but before Yang could launch into her pre-planned speech on how she had found an interest in Blake since the first day she saw her, she noticed something in her partner's eyes. It was the look of a desperate person, so lost in their search for fulfillment that they were slowly killing themselves without even knowing. Blake didn't need one more thing on her plate right now, so Yang launched into the story of her mother, and how she had almost died trying to find her. This is what Blake needed to hear, and Yang would always be there to give Blake just that. That's what partners were for.

  
But as she was leaving, satisfied that she had gotten through to Blake, Yang couldn't help but put herself out there a little bit.

  
"And if you feel like coming out tomorrow, I'll save you a dance," Yang said with a wink to try and convey a little more meaning, hoping that would be enough to convince Blake to go.

  
oO0Oo

  
And it was. But when Yang saw Blake being escorted by Sun, it felt like a knife had gone straight through her chest, leaving her breathless for a few seconds. She overheard Sun asking Blake to dance, and turned away so she wouldn't have to actually see it happen, fearing that it might kill her.

  
She was surprised, however, to feel a light tap on her shoulder.

  
"You promised me a dance."

  
Yang stared dumbfounded for a few seconds, before a huge grin, bright enough to light up the whole room, spread across her face.

  
"That I did," Yang said cheerfully, offering her arm to her partner and leading the two of them off to the middle of the dancefloor.

  
After a few seconds of dancing in comfortable silence, Blake surprised Yang again by breaking it.

  
"Thank you. For everything you said in the classroom, and just...being there," Blake said sincerely, a small smile on her lips.

  
"Sure thing, kitten! What are partners for?" Yang replied, still grinning ear to ear and immensely enjoying the annoyed look on Sun's face for having been denied the privilege of dancing with Blake first.

  
Blake just smiled and moved a bit closer to Yang, holding her close for the rest of the song. But, unfortunately for Yang, the song only went on for a few more minutes before ending, and she wanted to check on Ruby to make sure everything was okay.

  
Before Blake could return to Sun, however, Yang caught her by the arm.

  
"Do you think you could meet me out on the balcony? Around 11? I have something I want to tell you," Yang asked, still smiling so as not to worry Blake.

  
Her partner looked a bit curious, but nodded before Sun came over to reclaim his date.

  
Yang confidently strode over to Ruby and Weiss with a smug "Told you she would come." But only to cover up her jealousy of the laugh that Sun had immediately drawn out of Blake.

  
"Mission accomplished," came Weiss's reply.

  
"Sooooo, what do we do now?" asked Ruby.

  
Yang chuckled and replied with an easy "Just have fun!" before walking off to see if there was anything good at the refreshment table.

  
She spent the remainder of her time flitting between conversations and making sure everything was running smoothly until Yang looked at the clock and realized it was 10:55. She took a deep breath and headed over to the balcony where she said she would meet Blake in just 5 short minutes. In 5 minutes, everything about their relationship would change. If all went well, they would be partners in more than one sense of the word...the thought alone made her heart beat just a bit faster.

  
Only to have it stop cold when she saw Blake and Sun out on the balcony. Kissing. Blake. Was kissing Sun. On the balcony she was going to profess her love to Blake on. During the dance Yang had planned to make sure everything went well for Blake. On what was supposed to be the perfect night.

  
She didn't want to interrupt their moment but couldn't stand the idea of staying in the building knowing what was going on outside. So Yang ran back to her dorm before anyone could stop her. She never wanted to see Blake and Sun kiss again.

  
oO0Oo

  
Unfortunately for her, Yang happened to witness Sun walking Blake to their dorm, and saw a goodnight kiss take place before her partner went inside.

  
Sighing, Yang made her way back to the room so Blake wouldn't worry about her absence. She climbed back into their dorm just as Blake was opening the door, Yang leaning up against the window and acting casual. She didn’t want Blake to know a part of her was slowly dying on the inside

  
"Fun night?" Yang asked nonchalantly, praying that Blake wouldn't regale her with all the...fun...she'd been having with the monkey-faunus.

  
"Yeah, it was really great. Thank you, again, for what you said in the classroom, I never would have gone if you hadn't talked to me. And if I hadn't gone...I guess Sun wouldn't have told me how he felt…" Blake's sentence trailed off with a small smile playing on her lips.

  
Yang felt her heart break then and there. It was her doing. Her partner's sudden relationship was entirely her doing.

  
"Oh yeah?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly.

  
"Yes," and Blake began telling Yang exactly what had happened after their dance. She was practically gushing, Yang had never seen her happier. It appeared as if Sun was Blake's...well, sun. She revolved around him and he gave her light and happiness and warmth….

  
Something that Yang would never get the chance to give Blake.

  
Because try as she might, Yang could never eclipse the Sun


	2. 10 Years Later

It had been 10 years since that dance. 10 years since the night that broke Yang's heart, and 10 years since anything felt anywhere near normal. The war had ended just over 8 years ago, but everyone involved bore scars, physical, mental and emotional.

There had been casualties, of course. But somehow, through a mix of watching each other’s back, pure will power, and sheer luck, Team RWBY had made it through the war alive. Salem had certainly tried to break the team forever, but ultimately, it was Jaune’s sacrifice that had saved them. It had saved them all.

Constantly using his semblance to heal the others had a taken a toll on his aura, something he never had a great handle on anyway. During the final battle, he had been so focused on healing Ruby, he hadn’t even seen her coming, didn’t even have a chance to raise his shield. Salem had been going for Ruby, but knew that as long as Jaune lived, Ruby would too.

Watching Jaune die before her eyes was almost too much for Ruby to take, and from that day on, no one doubted just what her silver eyes could really do.

They won the war, but at the cost of so many lives.

That’s why Team RWBY was determined to live their lives to the fullest, making sure not to waste the lives that their friends and classmates had so willingly given.

Of course, they stayed together as the best team of huntresses all of Remnant would ever know for a good five years, but Weiss was the first to leave. The Schnee Dust Company needed her, and she had to make sure her father didn’t tarnish their once good name any further. And of course, wherever Weiss went, Ruby was sure to follow, this time not just as a leader and friend, but as a wife.

Yang and Blake were truly happy for their teammates, but decided to go their separate ways to continue their careers as huntresses. They worked well together in combat, but Blake and Yang never fully regained the dynamic they once had.

Blake blamed herself, of course. She believed that when she ran, she ruined the friendship that she and Yang had shared. Blake truly thought that the distance that had grown between her and the blonde was due to some small piece of Yang that still blamed the faunus for the loss of her right arm.

But only Yang knew the distance was set there for her own wellbeing. It physically pained her to see Sun and Blake together. They worked so well, it was like magic. And knowing that she would never feel that way tore away at her, reducing her to half the woman she was, at least when she was with Blake.

So they grew apart. Year by year they talked a little less, their interactions became fewer and further between, until they only truly talked once a year at the Schnee benefit ball, where Team RWBY’s presence was absolutely mandatory, according to a very stern looking Weiss.

And with the tenth annual ball coming up in just a few short weeks, Blake was searching for a dress in Atlas. Weiss had insisted on accompanying the cat faunus on her shopping spree, mostly because “you’ve been wearing the same style dress for the past 6 years, you could at least _try_ to change things up a little.”

Blake sighed as she went searched through the racks, trying her hardest to stifle a yawn behind her hand, but knew she was caught at the unamused glare Weiss was sending her way.

“I’m sorry, it’s just...this is so trivial, I don’t need a new dress, I have plenty.” Blake said with a shake of her head, ears twitching impatiently.

“No, you have three that you’ve been recycling over the past 7 years and hoping no one would notice,” Weiss said with a smirk. “I noticed. Besides, I didn’t fly you all the way out here for a dress, I’ve already picked one out, it’s being shipped to Mistral right now. Sun promised he would pick it up.”

“Well then why did you drag me out here?” Blake asked, cocking an eyebrow, a little annoyed at how the white haired girl seemed to be toying with her.

Weiss sighed and placed the dress she had been examining back on the rack. “Ruby and I will be returning to the Schnee headquarters tomorrow evening. We’re developing a new form of dust that would have an invaluable effect on the Grimm...if it stays in the right hands.”

“And if it doesn’t?” Blake asked, her expression darkening.

Weiss shrugged and said her calmest voice “We’re hoping it doesn’t come to that. But as it stands, we will be housing some rather sensitive materials and wanted a little extra muscle keeping it safe. We want to involve as few people as possible so the word of what we’re developing doesn’t get out. You’re our first choice,” Weiss said with a proud smile. ‘“It’s a small job really, you’ll have your own office in the SDC headquarters, we just want you in the building while we’re working on the dust and nearby after hours. We’ve already found an apartment four blocks down the street, and there’s an airship ticket with your name on it should you agree.”

Blake frowned slightly, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. It was a decent job, and the SDC would pay her fairly well. But of course, being back in Vale meant seeing…

“When do you need an answer by? I need to talk to Sun,” Blake said, folding her arms.

“Just let me know by the end of the week. Plenty of other huntsman and huntresses would be willing to take the job should you decline. But…you really are our first choice. My first choice,” Weiss said earnestly, laying a hand on Blake’s upper arm. The faunus smiled and nodded, hugging the smaller girl before leaving the store to catch an airship back to Mistral, still deep in thought.

Going back to Vale meant so many things that she wasn’t sure she was ready for. Being close to her old partner after so many years for an indefinite amount of time? It sounded like a recipe for disaster. And Sun wouldn’t be happy about the prospect of another job. He had retired 5 years ago, and every year would ask Blake to do the same, settle down, start a family together. It wasn’t that Blake didn’t want a family, it just never felt like the right time, the call to be a huntress was too loud for her to ignore, even for Sun, and she was well aware of the strain it was putting on their relationship.

She did miss being around her former teammates. She and Weiss had grown immeasurably close during and even after the war, fighting side by side for a future that would benefit both humans and faunus. Ruby had become one of the best leaders she ever had the privilege of following, inspiring the masses and giving them hope. And Yang was, well….

Blake grimaced slightly at the thought of her partner. They worked so well together, each having the others’ back, knowing exactly what move they were about to make, which punch they would throw, where a shadow clone would be left as a decoy. On the battlefield, they were practically unstoppable. Off it, however, was an entirely different story.

Yang had become painfully distant ever since Cinder attacked Beacon for the first time. And who could blame her? Wasn’t it her fault that Yang lost an arm? Wasn’t it her fault that Adam had traumatized her? Wasn’t it her fault that the person she cared for most in this world pushed her away?

She heaved a sigh and put her head in her hands. ‘Don’t start thinking that way again, you’ve been down that road already,’ Blake scolded herself. A small voice, one that sounded very much like Ruby, began speaking in the back of her mind. ‘Maybe if you went back to Vale, you could try to fix things?’

Blake was surprised at this sudden burst of optimism, but nonetheless, took out her scroll and typed a quick, two worded answer to Weiss.

“I’m in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments are more than welcome, lemme know what you think!  
> -Savvy


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